AN: Thank you so much you guys! I was completely terrified to read the reviews. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I'm glad it worked out. It was one of the hardest chapters to write, but definitely the most fun. Thank you again! This one isn't as exciting, but I think you'll like it. I did. :) Thanks again for reading…individual thank you's are at the end.! Oh but before I forget, thank you to my wonderful beta rh-fntc…and to Logans who's been helping me out with my semi-writer's block. You guys are awesome:)
Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. I also do not own "Always Something There to Remind Me" or Naked Eyes. Just borrowing them for this fic.
Chapter 21
Tristan woke up the next morning, feeling light and rested. He pried one eye open, only to shut it quickly at the bright light. He thought he heard someone mumbling, but ignored it. He stretched lazily, eyes still closed, then smiled, as he remembered the day before.
"I know your boyfriend's watching, but I just can't help myself this time."
"He's not my boyfriend."
Remembering that his Mary was indeed single, made him smile even wider. This time he distinctly heard someone grumble "Kids!" in an exasperated tone, from somewhere in his room. He snapped his eyes open looking around. He turned to his right, and saw nothing by his shelves. Turning to the foot of the bed, again nothing. Then when he turned to his left, toward his desk…
"Boo!" Janlan Dugray said, an inch away from his grandson's face.
"Ahhhh!" Tristan yelled, as he fell out of the bed.
His grandfather chuckled and soon was outright laughing, clutching at his belly. He soon calmed down and noticed that Tristan was still on the floor, but peeking up at him from the top of the mattress.
"Gramps?" Came his muffled response.
"Of course! Who did you think I was? Santa Clause?" Janlan scoffed once again agitated.
"B..but how?" Tristan said, staring at his grandfather in awe. He now noticed that everything in his room seemed just a bit brighter than usual. He thought he was dreaming.
"Well, you are dreaming I suppose." He caught the look of shock on Tristan's face. "What? Yes, I know what you're thinking. And yes, I'm really here." He paused and narrowed his eyes at his grandson. "It's about time you stopped having dreams about that girl! I've been trying to talk to you since you got here!" He scolded. "Now pull yourself together…I don't have much time!"
Tristan blushed at the reference of his dreams and the thought that his grandfather knew what happened in them. He looked up again at his grandfather, to find him smirking. It was eerie to see his smirk on someone else.
"Not that I don't appreciate seeing you and all, but are you really for real?" Tristan asked.
Janlan smacked him on the side of the head, much like Trina had done the day before. "That real enough for ya?"
Tristan rubbed the side of his head and pouted. "You could've just said 'yes'!" He grumbled.
"I'm sorry son, but you're really hard to get a hold of." Janlan said, his eyes softening at the look of content on his grandson's face.
"What are you doing here Gramps? You've been gone for four years now, and I've never seen you before today. Why are you here now?" Tristan asked, in awe once again of the situation.
"I'm here to tell you why you're here, and not to screw it up!" He said grandiosely. Tristan just looked at him in confusion. "Remember when I was sick, and we spent time together." At Tristan's nod, he continued. "We talked about Rory, your Mary, remember?" Tristan smiled, at the memory.
Janlan continued, after seeing the look on Tristan's face. "Remember how you were back then? Well, ever since that day, I knew she was the one for you." Tristan was broken from his reverie, and gave his grandfather another confused look.
"What?" Tristan yelled.
"Shush, boy! Don't interrupt your elders!" Janlan reprimanded. "Remember how when you first came here, it was because of this inexplicable pull." Tristan looked at him shocked once again that he knew what he was feeling when he first came home.
"Yeah. I couldn't understand why, but I just felt like I needed to be here." Tristan said, eyeing the ghost of his grandfather warily.
"It was me." At Tristan's dumb look he explained further. "I was the one who put the thought in your head. Once it was there, I just kept nagging at your brain till you couldn't help but be compelled to come home." He stated rather proudly. Tristan just shook his head in disbelief.
"Why?" Tristan asked dumbly.
"Haven't you been paying attention, boy?" Janlan said, giving him a look of agitation. "I brought you here to give you your second chance. You've been through a lot and I want to know that you'll be happy." Janlan said, his voice warmer, and eyes soft once again. "Plus, I want to make sure you don't mess it up!"
"I dunno gramps. I don't think she even feels the same. I mean, I just barely admitted to Trina and to myself that I really care about her, and may even love her." Tristan said, shaking his head. "I mean, I'm glad we talked, and all, but I…I'm just scared she doesn't want me the way I want her." He said softly.
"Aww, c'mere my boy." He said, putting his arm around his grandson. "She cares. It may take her awhile, but she does care and I know she'll make you happy. Don't be afraid to take a chance." He said reassuringly.
Tristan smiled at his grandfather, his eyes beginning to sting as he realized how much he needed his grandfather. "I miss you gramps." He said in a choked voice.
"Don't be sad son. I miss you too, but I've been watching you, and you've become a fine young man. I knew you had it in you!" He said proudly. "Besides, we'll be together again." He smiled.
Tristan wiped at his face, feeling silly since he hadn't cried in years, not since the funeral. "I know, but still…" he said trailing off. He noticed that it wasn't as bright as before.
"Just remember son, don't be afraid to take that chance…and that I love you…" Janlan said, as his voice began to fade away. Tristan looked up to see that his grandfather began to fade away.
"Wait, gramps!" Tristan cried out.
"I'm always with you…"
"No, wait!" Tristan yelled out. He was sitting up in his bed, sweating. He looked around his room. Nothing. A tear ran down his face. "I love you, gramps." He whispered as he looked up at his ceiling.
He lay in his bed thinking about what his grandfather told him. 'She cares about me.' He thought to himself. He shook his head, thinking he was crazy, but smiled, hoping that he really did get to talk to his grandpa one more time.
---------
Rory woke up stretching, with a huge smile on her face. She replayed the day's events and couldn't get over the fact that Tristan Dugray kissed her, and she didn't mind it in the least. Ok, so it wasn't a real kiss, but there was plenty of time for that.
The whole way home, Logan had been teasing her about Tristan and their intimate moment.
Flashback
"I told you!" Logan said, pointing a finger at her as they made their way to his car.
"Shut up!" She said, trying not to smile.
"Oh man! You've got it bad!" He said laughing.
She blushed, and shoved him with her shoulder. "Quit it!"
"Awww…Ace's got a crush!" He said in a singsong voice. "Oh wait! Or should I call you…Mary?" He laughed as he ran away from her. She chased after him for a bit, but when she got tired, she stopped, and he walked back to her, throwing his arm around her.
"Come on, Ace! Be happy! He likes you!" He said cheerily.
"How do you know?" She questioned.
"I just do. The way he looked at you…it was like you were the air to him." Logan said seriously.
"I dunno…" She said, hesitantly, her insecurities beginning to set in once again.
"Ace!" He said, getting her attention. "Snap out of it! Just take the chance. Worse that could happen is you find out that you guys don't work. But at least you'll know!" He said giving her a pointed look.
She smiled up at him. "When did you get so smart?"
"That Yale education! Best money my dad ever spent!" He said, smiling cheekily.
End Flashback
The rest of the ride home, was spent talking about what happened, how they ran into each other. She sat back in her bed thinking it must have been fate for them to have run into each other.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of her phone. Someone had sent her a text.
U bz today?
She smiled, seeing Tristan's text.
Nope…what did u hav in mind?
She texted back. She sat back waiting for his reply, when her phone rang. The number read 'Unavailable'.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Hey!" Tristan replied. She could tell he'd also just woken up. "Did I wake you?"
She smiled upon hearing his voice. "Hey! No, I woke up a few minutes ago. I didn't know it was you. The number said 'Unavailable'".
"Oh yeah! Sorry, I forgot to take off the block. I'll set it so you can see my number next time." He said quickly. She smiled, loving the thought that he seemed a bit nervous too.
"So…" She said.
"So…" He answered.
"You called me." She pointed out as she laughed.
"Oh! Right!" He said suddenly. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out. Not at the mall?" He asked.
She laughed. "Sure! I'd love to hang out, not at the mall." He smiled, loving that he was the one who made her laugh.
"Cool. What did you want to do?" He asked her, pulling himself out of bed, and looking through his closet for his clothes.
"Did you maybe want to come hang out here?" She asked, biting her lip.
"Sure! I'd love to. It's 9:30 now. How about I come by around 11:30 then we can have an early lunch? If Lorelai's there, she's welcome to join us." He suggested.
"I'll see. She might be doing something with my dad and sister." She explained.
"Your dad and sister? I didn't know your mom and dad got married." He said furrowing his brow. Then realizing what he said, he quickly amended. "I'm sorry! That was rude."
"No! No, not at all!" She said, smiling at the fact that he was being so polite. She was really starting to like this Tristan. So grown up, but with just a hint of the old Chilton Tristan. She thought it was funny that the things she thought were annoying before…his smirk, his cockiness…she found charming now. His smirk wasn't so arrogant as it was teasing, and his cockiness was more of a show of confidence. "It's actually a recent development. I'm still kind of getting used to it myself."
"Oh, ok. Well, maybe you can tell me all about it over lunch?" He said hopefully.
"Sure! I'll see you in a couple of hours. Do you need directions?"
"Nah, I think I still remember how to get there from when we had rehearsals." He said before he could stop himself.
"What? That was like 5 years ago!" She said surprised.
"Oh…well, ya…I've got a pretty good memory." He said lamely, hoping she didn't catch his hesitance. She didn't want her to think he was a stalker. Fortunately for him, she's pretty gullible.
"Wow, that's pretty good!" She said impressed. "I better let you go, so we could both get ready."
"Ok." He answered. "I'll see you in a bit, Mary."
She smiled. "See you later, Tristan."
She sat back in her bed smiling at the thought that she was going to get to see him again today. Then she realized she had less than 2 hours to get ready. She jumped out of bed and into the kitchen.
"MOM!" She yelled out, nearly running her father over.
"Whoa, kiddo! Where's the fire?" He laughed, as he held his daughter to keep her from falling.
"Sorry, dad." She smiled, trying to keep the blush off her face. She straightened up and brushed the hair out of her face. "Where's mom?"
"She went to the Inn for a bit. Seems there was an emergency with a sheep?" He said with a look that was a cross between being confused and amused. "Anything I can help you with?" He said, noticing his daughter's crestfallen face.
"No." She pouted. He chucked her chin gently to get her attention.
"Ror…what's up?" He asked, concerned. She looked at him, contemplating if she could trust him. Then finally realized she was running out of time.
"Well, Tristan's coming over…" She hesitated.
"The boy from Hartford that resembles me and Logan in more than just looks." He said knowingly, in one breath.
"Wow dad!" She said in awe. "Nice. We'll make a Gilmore out of you yet!" She said impressed at his rambling speeds.
"Thank you." He said feigning pride. "I try." They both broke out in laughter. Chris motioned for them both to take a seat at the kitchen table.
"Come on, kid. Stop stalling." He said knowingly.
"Tristan's coming over in less than two hours…and I don't know what to wear!" She whined, hanging her head in shame for having such a girly moment. She went to Yale for God's sake. She shouldn't be bothered with such trivial things, but here she was, worrying about looking good for Tristan.
Chris chuckled at her predicament. She scowled at him. "Stop making fun of me!" She pouted, her scowl became deeper if possible.
"Whoa! Ok, calm down. None of that…" He said smoothing the furrow between her brows. Your face might freeze like that, and we don't Tristan to think you look like Nixon." He said teasingly. She was not amused. "Ok, ok." He laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender.
"Okay. Why don't we go into your closet and see if we can pick something out, ok?" He said, gently steering her daughter back into her room.
They both stood in front of her closet, just staring. "Hmmm…" Chris hummed after ten minutes of staring. "This isn't working. Why don't you tell me what look you're going for. Then go pull out some clothes, and I'll pick something out." She eyed him skeptically.
"Trust me, Rory. This happened to your mom all the time, when we used to go out. Who do you think helped her pick out her outfits?" She looked at him with wide eyes.
"You helped dress mom?" She asked, in shock.
"Of course! You don't think Emily did it, did you? Your mom didn't have too many girlfriends that she trusted with her appearance. A lot of them would have been happy to make a fool out of her to have her fall from social grace." He said seriously.
"Okay." She said, turning to her closet. "Well, I just want to look good, you know, but comfortable…and I don't want it to look like I put too much effort into it." She finished, coming out of the closet with several tops, pants, and skirts.
"Well, it's a little cold outside…" He said, looking at her choices. "You have shoes?" He asked, not taking his eyes off her clothes. She just shook her head and brought out some pumps, tennis shoes, and boots. "Go ahead and take a shower. When you get done, I'll have something for you." He said, shoving her playfully out of her room.
"Okay, dad." She laughed, then turned around quickly to give him a hug. "I'm glad you're here. Whatever happens, I'm really happy that I got the chance to spend time with you like this." She whispered, hugging him tightly.
"Love you, kiddo." He said giving her a smile and kissing her on her forehead. "Now mush! Times a wastin'!" She laughed and made her way to the bathroom. He smiled, thinking that he was happy that he finally got the chance to be a dad for her. No matter what happened, he wouldn't regret this time with his girls for anything. He turned back, rubbed his hand to the back of his head, and tried to figure out an outfit.
"Let's see…" He said, rummaging through her things.
Half an hour later, she came out with her hair done up in a low ponytail, and light some make-up on her face. Her dad was no where in sight. When she got to her room, she stood there in amazement. It was perfect. Cute and stylish, but still casual and comfortable. He'd picked out a brown short sleeved hoodie, a printed thermal to wear under, a pair of dark skinny jeans, and camel colored boots with no heels that came up just below her knees. All in all, a pretty good choice. She was definitely impressed. She got dressed and walked out into the living room to see her dad watching TV on the flat screen he bought.
She walked over and hugged him. "Thanks, dad! I'm impressed!" She did a little spin for him to show off her attire.
He whistled in approval. "Beautiful! You're mom and I gave you all the right genes!" He said proudly.
"Dad!" She said embarrassed. "You're as bad as mom! Please don't say that stuff when he gets here!" She said straightening out her clothes, even though they didn't need it.
"Stop!" Her dad said, grabbing her hands. "You look great! From what your mom told me about him, you could show up in a potato sack, and he'd still think you're the most beautiful girl he's met." He said seriously.
"Dad…" She said, about to protest, but he cut her off.
"Seriously, kid. You've got nothing to worry about. And if he can't see how great you are, then he isn't worth it. Got it?" He said, lifting her chin to look at him.
"Got it." She said smiling.
They sat for the next 30 minutes chatting and watching TV, just enjoying some father, daughter time.
Tristan was whistling as he made his way downstairs.
"Naked Eyes. I've taught you well, young Padawan." Trina said solemnly. Tristan just chuckled, not realizing, he'd been whistling the song that had plagued him when he first arrived in Hartford. It was actually beginning to grow on him. He gave his sister a smile.
"Yes, Master Jedi. I owe it all to you." He said, giving a mock bow. He stood up and laughed as she playfully shoved him. She took in his appearance and gave a low whistle.
"Who's the girl?" She asked, looking at him with a raised brow.
"What? Who says I'm going to see a girl?" He asked, evasively.
"Seeing as it's almost 11 am on a day you had nothing planned, and you're up dressed to the nines, and look rather chipper." She said, giving him a knowing look.
"I'm not that dressed up!" He said, looking over his attire. He had on some dark low rise jeans, a collared shirt with a brownish sweater over it, with the shirt tucked out, peaking out the bottom of the sweater.
"Yes, you've got that casual, stylish, but just thrown together look." She said, not buying it. "Who is she?" She asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
He gave her a small smile as he blushed. "I'mgoingtoseeRory." He mumbled.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" She said, exaggeratedly putting her hand to her ear.
"I said," He said, a bit slowly this time. "That I was going to go see Rory." He sighed.
"Really?" She squealed. He winced at the tone of her voice.
"Could you take it down a notch, please?" He asked, sticking a finger in his ear as if pained.
"Quit it!" She said, shoving him again. "When did this happen?"
"Nothing, happened, Trina." He said rolling his eyes. "It's no big deal. I called her up and asked if she wanted to hang out, and she agreed." He shrugged. He didn't want to make a big deal about it so he didn't get his hopes up.
"This is huge!" She said, shocked at his nonchalance. "I mean…" He cut off her rant.
"Trina." He said, catching her eye. "It's not a big deal. Please. I don't want to make anything more than what it is…for now anyway. Let's just see what happens, ok?" He said pleadingly. "Don't go planning my wedding just yet." He said giving her a small smile.
"Ok." She pouted. "I'm gonna hold you to that 'yet'!"
"As soon as there's something more concrete, I'll let you know." He said sincerely. "Thanks, Trina." He said suddenly.
"For what, little brother?" She asked, confused at his change in tone.
"For being my sister." He said honestly, engulfing her in a hug. "I really appreciate having you in my life."
Her eyes began to tear at his sudden show of sentimentality. She knew that for Tristan, it was rare. "Thanks, Tris. Same goes for you. I love you, you know? I just want to see you happy."
"I know. Thanks. But I'll do this my way and see what happens. But the minute I need big sisterly advice, you'll be the first one I call, okay?" He said giving her a wink.
"Deal!" She said hugging him again.
"You better get a move on. What time were you meeting her?" She asked as he looked at his watch.
"I better go now. I told her I'd be in Stars Hollow by 11:30!" He grabbed her keys, and rushed back to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks again." He whispered giving her a small smile.
"Have fun." She said shoving him out the door.
She smiled, hoping that things worked out between him and Rory.
When he arrived at Stars Hollow, he remembered the night of the rehearsal. He shook his head chuckling. He'd been such a dick to Bag Boy. He quickly made his way to her house. It looked different from what he remembered. A little bigger. He stepped out and made his way to the porch and rang the doorbell. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and rocked back and forth on his feet nervously.
Rory and Chris were enjoying some father-daughter time, when they heard the doorbell ring.
"It's him!" She said jumping up. "Do I look ok?"
"Sweetheart, you look fine. Now go answer the door, before he thinks you changed your mind!" He said playfully.
"Oh! Right!" She said as she ran to the door.
"Slow down, Ror!" He called out, just loud enough for her to hear. She stopped in her tracks, took a deep breath, and then calmly made her way to the door.
She opened the door to see a nervous looking Tristan.
"Hey!" She called out, taking in his appearance. She had to admit, the boy looked good. "Hey! We match!" She said smiling,
She startled him with her greeting. When she mentioned them matching, he looked down at his attire, and smirked. "Great minds think alike, huh Mare?" He took the time to look at what she was wearing and he had to admit he loved those jeans on her.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever!" She opened the door wider, and motioned for him to come inside. "Come in, meet my dad. Mom had to go to the Inn for an emergency with sheep."
"Sheep?" He asked as they made their way to the living room.
"Don't ask me. I'm merely the messenger!" Chris said standing up. "Chris Hayden. I'm Rory's dad."
"Tristan Dugray, sir." Tristan said, shaking Chris' hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"None of that here son." Chris said with a smirk. "Just call me Chris."
"It's nice to meet you, Chris." Tristan said with a smile.
"You too. Where are you kids headed off to?" Chris asked, turning off the T.V.
"We were going to go have lunch, and then I guess play it by ear. Did you want to join us?" Tristan asked, graciously.
"No, thanks!" Chris answered. "I think I'll stay home and wait for my wife. Besides, Gigi will be home soon. Sookie took her to play with the kids for a while."
"What's a Sookie?" Tristan asked, looking at Rory.
"Not what, who…and if you're lucky, you may get to meet her and her awesomeness!" She said in her best Emily impersonation.
Tristan laughed at her antics. "Come on. I'm hungry." He said, shoving her towards the door. "It was nice meeting you Chris. Maybe I'll see you later!"
"Bye dad!" She called out.
"It was nice meeting you too, Tristan! Have fun you guys!" He yelled out, before the front door shut.
He smiled as he fell back onto the couch. "I really hope that works out." He muttered to himself.
AN2: Hope you liked it.
Holy Cross Baby - LOL…thank you so much! That was the plan…to get everyone to switch back to Tristan…how is there a choice? I mean I loved Logan, but Tristan is still my first choice hands down! I'm glad you liked it though…thanks again for being a good friend! I'm not sure how much is left of this fic…everytime I think I'm close to the end, I write 4 more chapters! Lol…hopefully not too much longer…
Myra -Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Chelle5 - Glad you liked it. Thanks for reading!
trorygirl - LOL…thanks for the 'crazy little dance'…that made me laugh. I'm glad you liked the meeting. I was really worried about it.
Mamashirl - Thank you!
leh2007 - Thank you! You're pretty amazing too! Thanks so much for reading! Glad you liked it!
Mongoose 187 - Thanks, so much! Glad you liked it.
Logans - I'm glad you liked it…and yes, you totally cracked me up. I don't think you're crazy. I'm the same way. It's not as exciting now cause you know it's nearing the end. Don't worry…there's still a bit more to come. :)
And it won't be 20 chapters till the party…maybe 5. :) But don't hold me to that!
I'm glad you liked the plotting and the codewords. I thought it was pretty funny and something Paris would do, that Logan could get behind…since he gets to be bond of course:) I'm pretty sure you'll get a flashback, so you know who the rest of the plotters are.
You are very good with your psychic ability. You should use it for good not evil! Lol. When I read your prediction that first time, I was laughing, cause I'd already had the chapter written, or knew when it was gonna get written and I was impressed. I may use you for a beta for a oneshot I've been toying with. But I can't do that till I finish this one.
Don't worry, as you know, there's more to come. I hope you liked this chapter. It is nearing the end, but it will be quite a few more chapters till the end.
mrmp - LOL…I hope you feel you've been rewarded once again for your diligent patience. Thanks for reading:)
xSweetAshesx - I'm glad you liked the plan. I figured it would be much too boring for them to run into each other on their own. Needed their friends to give them a push:)
Joise - Thank you!
LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan - LOL…See…you and me…totally on the same page! He's just too cute!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked those lines. They're some of my favorites. Thank you for saying that one line was very GG…really means a lot.
"I haven't stopped smiling from the beginning." Really a great compliment. Thank you so much!
Coffee91 - Thank you! Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy the rest of the ride:)
deal4321 - I'm glad you liked Logan's impersonation…I always thought that would be funny to see.
I love Trina and Tristan.
And sorry, you had to wait till Tuesday:) I hope it was worth the wait!
princetongirl - Thank you! Hope you liked it!
LifeLookingDown - ' i was jumping up and down in my seat (which i practically fell off of!)' I hope you didn't fall:) I'm glad you liked it.
I'm glad you liked it. It was one of my favorite lines, so I had to incorporate it somehow.
I'm glad you liked that I made Rory a little less timid.
I'm glad you felt bad for him…it's what I was aiming for…and for Rory when she got all crestfallen, thinking Trina was his girl. :)
lol…thank you so much for your review. I'm really glad you liked it!
HopelessRomantic44 - Glad you liked the text:)
Catalina Day - This is my most favoritest chapter ever. :D
'…you've impressed me, this time by making what can sometimes be a cliche situation (the PLAN, dun dun DUN!) totally in-character and fun.' – Thank you…I'm glad you think so!
Don't worry, it's not the end yet. There's still a bit that needs to happen before it ends. So stay tuned!
RedEmmaXYZ - Really? Crazy! I swear I don't know them! Lol…thank you! Glad you like it!
Curley-Q -They have no idea they were set up. :) I'm glad you liked the execution of the plan.
RositaLG - Seriously! How did that work out! Lol…I'm glad you liked it…thanks so much for reading!
allovertheplace - Hell yes, I was scared when I read this!! lol
6 am!! That's dedication! Lol
I'm glad you thought it was funny. See, in my head, I don't see why it would be uncomfortable. Awkward maybe cause it's been awhile. But also, you figure, Tristan's society, so he knows how to put a spin on uncomfortable or awkward situations. Rory has grown up and hung out with Logan and has learned to loosen up and do the same. Glad it worked for you!
Of course I had to put the old Tristan there! He's still the same Tristan, just grown up. :)
'Third, I´m impressed... 20 chapters and u managed not to bore me!' That is truly a compliment! I'm glad you've enjoyed. I dunno about every chapter, but I'm pretty sure I can swing it for most of them! Hope you enjoy them!I dunno if I have something like that planned, but I'll see what I can do. :) No promises though…I never really know what I'm writing till I write it.
And I know you're always nice. :) I just never know when you guys will turn on me! lol.